1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a game controller, and more particular to a game controller, which can accurately control the act of a game character.
2. Description of Related Arts
In 1982, the game producer Nintendo developed a game controller for domestic game platform Family Computer (FC) thereof in order to support the famous game Donkey Kong selling. The game controller of the FC uses the Nintendo's patented cross-shape directional key, two action buttons labeled “A” and “B”, a “start” button, and a “select” button. Such as Super Mario Bros, Contra, Double Dragon are contemporary classical game. Characteristics of these games are that the game character only has two or three acts and eight directions of motion. Therefore, the game player who uses the game controller of the Family Computer is easier to control the game character to play game. The game controller of the Family Computer provides a good experience for the game player.
Another classical game is Street Fighter which is marketed later. The domestic game platform Family Computer fails to provide a good experience for the game player because the game platform Family Computer's performance and operation does not support the game Street Fighter to work on the game platform Family Computer. Therefore, the Nintendo develops and produces another game platform called Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), which improves the SNES game platform performance and the SNES's game controller. The game Street Fighter requires six action buttons, so that the SNES's game controller adds four action buttons, labeled “X”, “Y”, “L” and “R”, wherein the four buttons “A”, “B”, “X”, “Y” are arranged in a diamond shaped arrangement, and the action buttons “X” and “Y” are separately arranged at the end of a shoulder side of the SENS game controller. The game player who plays an old game in the new game platform will generally be satisfied with these improvements that are good enough to meet the requirements of the new game, such as Street Fighter. The game controller of the game platform SNES provides a good experience for the game player.
When the 3D game period comes, the type of game controller such as SNES's game controller fails to provide a good operation experience for 3D game. For example, in 3D platform game like Super Mario 64, using SNES's game controller can only allow the game character Mario to move forward, left, and forward-left, but nothing in between. It is a big limitation to the moving control of the game character. Some early 3D games, such as Resident Evil, overcome this limitation by assigning the Left and Right directions on the game controller to spin game character for determining moving direction, i.e. controlling the game character moving by the directional buttons of the game controller. This, however, creates its own problems as the game character is unable to move while spinning, that requires the player to stand in the same spot while changing direction. In early 3D game, the camera position cannot be adjusted, so that some camera positions would affect the game playing.
Sony produces a game controller Dual analog Controller which matches its game platform Play Station and solves the above mentioned problems occurred in the early 3D game. This type of game controller has two joysticks arranged in a symmetrical configuration with the Dual analog Controller on the left thumb position and the face buttons at the right thumb position. The left joystick controls the motion of the game character while the right joystick controls the camera for adjusting the camera position to provide convenience for playing game. The right joystick not only allows camera controlling in a third-person platform game, but also allows the player's gazing and aim controlling in a first-person shooting game (FPS). As opposed to the left joystick, it controls where the player moves. Later, the game controller employs two vibration motors for giving the game player even better experience. Until now, game controller, such as the game controller of Sony's Play Station 3 the game controller of Microsoft's XBOX 360, and etc., has two joysticks.
The drawback of the joystick is that the precision of locating is not enough for some games to the game player. The joystick is also called as joystick potentiometer, which controls the cursor or the sighting in a game through a method of angle determining speed. For example, when the game player pushes the stick to left, the cursor or the sighting moves left, wherein the more angle is pushed, the cursor or the sighting moves more faster. The cursor or the sighting's speed can be configured in the game, but this is a tough choice. If the setting of the cursor or the sighting speed is fast, then the cursor or the sighting moves fast. But, it is not good for accurately moving the cursor or the sighting in short distance. If the setting of the cursor or the sighting speed is slow, it is good for accurately controlling the cursor or the sighting. But, it will spend more time to move the cursor or the sighting to the edge of the screen. Considering the speed and precision of the cursor, one can set a value of the cursor's moving speed to meet the basic requirement of the game. However, the result is that the moving speed and the precision of the cursor both are not good enough. Or, let the game player to change the speed among several speeds which are presetting. But, the changing of the speed needs the game player to operate. Such as double pulled joystick, the game player has to pull synchronously left joystick and right joystick toward back, that will reduce the locating speed of the cursor or the sighting. The requirement of the moving speed and precision of the cursor or the sighting in the game cannot be satisfied in the present joystick at the same time. The present joystick fails to provide a good experience for the game player.
A Chinese patent application number 200810241882.5 has improved on the game controller of FPS game, which comprises a track ball for moving in-game cursor. The trackball has smaller diameter that is limited by its mounting position on the game controller. The displacement of the trackball-rotation is short, which reflects in the game that the cursor moving distance is short. It is good for locating accurately but, if the target is away from the present position of the cursor, the trackball needs to be rotated several times, and thus the aiming speed is seriously affected. If the trackball has a higher sensitivity that, when the trackball rotates a time, the cursor can move longer distance, it's difficult to accurately aim in this condition. Therefore the trackball has the same problem that cannot meet the requirement achieving the moving speed and the precision simultaneously.
Computer is another game platform. In comparison with the domestic game platform, the computer has a different control method, that is through the keyboard and the mouse to control the game character. The advantage of the keyboard and the mouse is to control the game character rapidly and accurately, but the game player requires to have a straight sitting posture that renders the game player to get tire easily, and thus there is no better experience than using the game controller. Using the game controller, you can sit in any posture you like that enables the game player does not feel tire that easy and provides a better playing experience. However, the game controller cannot be rapidly and precisely located.